A cracked screen usually means you'll have to spend a hefty amount to make your device usable again. For older devices, it might actually be easier to buy a new one. If this situation sounds familiar, or if you simply have an old device with a shattered screen laying around, XDA Forum Member mailme45 has written a guide that may help you make that device useful once again.
The tutorial walks you through turning your phone into a fully fledged media center (running a fork of XBMC/Kodi). Assuming your device supports MHL, you'll only need a few things to get started:
- A USB OTG cable along with a mouse so you can control the phone until it's fully set up.
- An MHL adapter that allows you to display your phone's screen on your TV or monitor.
- A way to control the device remotely once it's ready. In this case, a Wi-Fi connection and Yatse, a free remote app for XBMC/Kodi.
This probably won't cost you more than $10 to $40, depending on where you buy the accessories from. You could even do without the USB OTG cable if you're rooted, in which case you'd be able to use ADB instead.
Alright, folks — you've seen the requirements, so if you have a device with a shattered screen laying around, a USB OTG cable and MHL adapter, make sure to head over to the Shattered Scren Media Center tutorial thread to give a new life to your phone, and turn it into a complete media center.